Hydraulic assemblies, including hydraulic conduits, are used for the communication of pressurized fluid to drive hydraulic components. In some cases, the hydraulic components may be part of a mechanical system that includes pivot points for rotational movement of mechanical or hydraulic components.
In a particular case, the hydraulic component may be for driving a rotator and an implement that are suspended at the end of a crane. In this case, hydraulic conduits run from a pressure medium source along a crane through a rotator link assembly and to the implement. The rotator link assembly includes a hydraulic component for driving rotation of the implement as well as a hydraulic component for operating the implement. The rotator link assembly also includes a pivot connection to the crane. In this situation, it may be difficult to provide durable hydraulic conduit connectors as the hydraulic conduits will be under stress as a result of the movement of the crane, pivot connection, rotator, and the implement.
Further, when fed along a crane, via a rotator link assembly to an implement, the hydraulic conduits may be exposed to surrounding objects when the crane, pivot connection, or rotator moves and this may cause damage to the hydraulic conduits. Damage to the hydraulic conduits may lead to failure of the conduit and hydraulic fluid leakage. When damaged, the hydraulic conduits must be replaced causing reduced production and increased operational costs.
Examples of conventional hydraulic conduit assemblies are described in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0056588 to Harr et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,489 to Ekman.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a hydraulic assembly configured to reduce hydraulic conduit failure.